When I started the job there was a very exciting orientation and lots of great people to get to meet. You will leave orientation week very excited to start your new job. That will most likely be as excited as you'll ever get, unfortunately, as once you start you soon realize the connection between their TALK and their ACTION is virtually non-existence.
During orientation they encourage you to "get involved" and "voice your opinion." I tried getting involved by starting groups, offering blog posts and opinion papers, suggesting public speaking etc. Every single idea was either "poo-pooed" or received nothing but a blank stare. I have written many blogs and given many talks so its not like I was suggesting anything ill-conceived here.
If you try and voice your concerns with the company they nod their heads and that's where it ends. ThoughtWorks LOVES to talk...in fact it's kind of like a club where if you like to talk a lot about things that don't materialize (and you don't care if they DO materialize) then you'll be in.
My first job had absolutely nothing to do with what was on my resume. I think it's hilarious that they would give me a performance review because I have no idea what they would be reviewing....how bad I was at doing something that has absolutely nothing to do with my background? I'm all for branching out but trust me...this was ridiculous...especially given my credentials.
My impression is that the people who last at TW are those people who don't really DO much but love to talk as though they do. Unfortunately you can still get by in this world being like that. But one thing is for certain...you won't be "changing the world" as they would have you believe.
In fact, if you have an IQ over 50 you will find TW a bit creepy....you'll be sitting in one of their many many meetings and they will all be nodding their heads in unison to some random idea they think they want to DO....and you'll be looking around the room thinking..."holy crap I guess I didn't drink the Kool-Aid." It's like a cheesy toastmasters club with just enough Dev talent to convince companies they can deliver real solutions. Since most companies still use old-ass technology stacks this isn't very hard to do....enter TW.
If you look at all the PROS that people write about its always the "people." I agree it's great to work with fun people but at some point you should be caring about the quality of the work, the ability to have a voice, and the real chance to actually effect change in the world. Oh and what's that other thing?...oh right....actually getting work remotely related to what's on your resume...maybe thats just me....but it might be nice at least for your first assignment.
